Burnley 0, Chelsea 4: Chris Boden's thoughts on a second half capitulation
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But against his beloved Burnley, World and European champions Chelsea more than rocked the boat at Turf Moor.
And Sean Dyche will have to hope his side’s survival hopes haven’t been capsized by their heaviest defeat of the season.
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Hide AdIt was the first time ever Burnley have hosted the World Club Cup or Intercontinental Cup winners, and in the first half, Thomas Tuchel’s Champions League winners didn’t faze the Clarets, who worked diligently to retain their shape, while pressing with intelligence and purpose.
Dyche’s side created more and clearer openings, while Nick Pope was not extended by the visitors, whose boss felt the pitch was a little dry and sticky, preventing his side from zipping the ball about as they would have liked.
You felt that failure to convert their golden chances would come back to haunt them, and that Chelsea would not be as impotent as they were in the opening 45 minutes.
But the manner of Burnley’s capitulation after the break was concerning.
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Hide AdDyche’s men have managed to stay in every game they have played this season, right to the final whistle.
However, the game went from finely-balanced to done and dusted within eight bewildering minutes, as Chelsea netted three times - each goal as preventable as the last.
Burnley took on water rapidly and were unable to stay afloat.
The visitors added a fourth, as they retained their unbeaten record at Turf Moor in the Premier League era, dropping only two points in eight visits.
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Hide AdThe visiting fans sang “can we play you every week?”, such was the ease with which they ultimately collected the points.
It is a far cry from Burnley’s fortunes at Stamford Bridge, where they have come away with at least a point from half their trips to West London.
The only time they have beaten Chelsea home or away in 16 outings, however, was the opening day of the 2017/18 season, and that was also the only time before Saturday Burnley had shut out the Blues in the first half of a Premier League game.
All that effort went to waste though, as the ceiling fell in on the Clarets.
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Hide AdAt the same time, Brentford were winning their first three points in nine games at Norwich, to move six points clear of Burnley, having played two games more - making Saturday’s first trip to the Brentford Community Stadium a potentially pivotal one.
Defeat there doesn’t bear thinking about, and the Clarets will have to get back to the miserly form which saw them keep four clean sheets in six games, before shipping seven in their last three.
To that end, captain Ben Mee could be fit to provide a timely boost, not that replacement Nathan Collins was culpable here, as he showed further positive signs in his debut Premier League campaign.
As Dyche said: “I thought he did well - it wasn't an individual thing today, it was a collective thing.
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Hide Ad"That eight minutes was a collective thing, it wasn't about individuals.”
While the collective failed to stem the tide, one individual came under more scrutiny than the others in Dwight McNeil.
In a bright first half, the only thing that let the 22-year-old wideman down was his end product, as he squandered arguably the best opening, scooping over a shot with the goal gaping after Edouard Mendy flapped at Ashley Westwood’s centre, while he twice failed to pick out a teammate in the centre after galloping clear down the left from Wout Weghorst’s astute pass.
Those moments seemed to sap his confidence, and while he showed real bravery at times in the second half to demand the ball to try and make things happen, when he was unable to affect the game, the murmurs from the stands grew, and there were a few boos when it was Jay Rodriguez who made way for Maxwel Cornet just after the hour.
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Hide AdDyche, as you would expect, defended his player afterwards, saying: “I've got to be honest, apart from not scoring a goal, the bravery to come and get the ball, getting questioned for probably the first time - it's part of his development.
"Our fans are very fair, but they're questioning him at the minute, but he's a fine young player and part of his development will be playing under those circumstances, but he never shied away from the ball, he kept coming to get it, even though he knew the crowd were just giving him a little bit.
"At the end of the day, that's part of being a footballer, and his growth as a footballer.
"This is the reality, this is how you learn, we've all had it, trust me, I've had my fair share!”
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Hide AdYou hope it is something which just clicks again with an assist or a goal, and there are metrics which show aspects of McNeil’s game are there – before the game only Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool and Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse had put over more crosses this season, only Newcastle’s Alain Saint-Maximin had completed more dribbles, and he was also ninth in the Premier League in terms of tackles.
But Saturday’s performance was an extreme microcosm of Burnley’s season to date – a failure to be clinical with their chances, while seeing any defensive lapse ruthlessly punished.
So is the story at this exalted level, and while going back to basics had helped reset the Clarets, this is maybe a timely reminder – a kick up the backside they maybe need, ahead of what could be a make or break afternoon in West London.